March 23, 2009

VIZ MEDIA CONTINUES THE CELEBRATION WITH A SPECIAL SHONEN JUMP DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION POSTERZINE

New Posterzine to Feature Exciting Action And Main Character Shots From Upcoming Live-Action Feature Film

San Francisco, CA, March 13, 2009 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of a special SHONEN JUMP DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION posterzine, based on the upcoming live-action film from 20th Century Fox starring Justin Chatwin as Goku, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, and Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi. Dragonball: Evolution opens nationwide on April 8th and is inspired by Akira Toriyama’s smash hit DRAGON BALL manga (graphic novel) series, also published domestically by VIZ Media and featured in SHONEN JUMP magazine.

The new SHONEN JUMP DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION posterzine celebrates the upcoming live-action adventure feature film Dragonball: Evolution. Both the movie, directed by James Wong, and the DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION posterzine, published by VIZ Media, bring to life the action and the characters from the eagerly awaited film. Look for the posterzine on newsstands wherever SHONEN JUMP magazine is sold and online at store.viz.com beginning March 31st. The SHONEN JUMP DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION posterzinecarries an MSRP of $9.99 and is rated T for Teens. The posterzine features 11 full-color posters that fold out to 16” x 22” and depict a variety of vivid action shots and all the film’s main characters.

“We’re very excited to announce our first live-action Hollywood posterzine product to support the highly anticipated release of the Dragonball: Evolution movie,” says Christopher Boily, VIZ Media Sr. Director, Newsstand. “It’s great to see our hugely popular DRAGON BALL manga get the full Hollywood treatment for the big screen – and the high quality glossy images will help bring everyone’s favorite characters to life and offer a fun way for fans to pay homage to this incredible new movie.”

Dragonball: Evolution, the live-action feature film (rated PG) centers on a team of warriors, each of whom possess special abilities. Together, they protect Earth from a force bent on dominating the universe by controlling the mystical objects from which the film takes its name. Dragonball: Evolution features Justin Chatwin as Goku, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, and Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi. Dragonball: Evolutionthe movie is based on the popular Japanese manga series created by Akira Toriyama (also published in North America by VIZ Media). For more information on the DRAGONBALL: EVOLUTION books, or DRAGON BALL manga series please visit www.viz.com.

DRAGON BALL has become a global pop culture and entertainment phenomenon that has generated more than $3 billion in worldwide sales of a vast array of products including manga, DVDs, video games, toys, apparel and other collectibles. Over 1.6 million copies of the manga series have been sold in North America to date, while the animated counterpart remains the most successful domestic anime series ever with over 500 episodes and 17 animated movies broadcast or released on DVD to date. Over 30 DRAGON BALL video game titles are also available for the PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 platforms, and have sold a total of more than 11 million units worldwide.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com.